Recently, I sat in a training when the question was asked, “Why do we have 1,000+ pages of scripture? If the gospel can be summarized with ‘Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind … love thy neighbor as thyself.’ That could fit on a single page.”
As I sat there pondering this question and hearing the answers from other members. For me, I think God gave me scriptures so that I can realize the Gospel is lived in extreme circumstances. And I want to share my thoughts with you:
Examples of Living the Gospel in Extreme Circumstances
When you stop and think about it; the scriptures are full of extreme examples! Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son Issac. Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt. Job was stripped of basically everything. The unnamed widow gave all she had (her two mites). Abinadi testified before King Noah and was put to death because of it. And the Sons of Helaman had a miraculous preservation. Just to name a few! And then you have the ultimate example, Jesus Christ, who performed the infinite atonement in duress.
These examples of living the gospel under extreme circumstances provide us with both an example to follow, but it also provides us with inoculation to one of Satan’s most effective tools: a wispier “Your situation is extreme, you are the exception.” Lynn G. Robbins in the Apr. 2005 general conference taught that the Lord has provided us with these extreme examples in the scriptures to combat this lie from Satan. He taught, “One reason the Lord illustrates doctrines with the most extreme circumstances is to eliminate excuses. If the Lord expects even the poorest widow to pay her mite, where does that leave all others who find that it is not convenient or easy to sacrifice?”
Joseph Smith and Examples of Gospel Living in Extreme Circumstances
When Joseph felt abandoned in Liberty Jail, the Lord comforted him. Part of the Lord’s comfort came in the form of Him citing an extreme example to show Joseph the path he is asked to walk is not an exceptional one, but that others have had it worse. D&C 121:10 “Thou art not yet as Job”
But then the Lord takes it further, even if you were asked to endure as Job was asked, even if you were asked to endure far worse than Job, “these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good. The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?”
This comforted Joseph. He was humbled by the example and comparison and redoubled his commitment to the restoration. In stark contrast, Sidney Rigdon apostatized after the Library Jail experience and proclaimed, “the sufferings of Jesus Christ were a fool to his.” (John Jaques, “The Life and Labors of Sidney Rigdon,” Improvement Era 3 (February 1900): 265-266.)
Extreme Examples Inoculate Against Falsely Believing You Are An Exception
Whenever we are called to live a gospel principle, Satan will tug us to believe like Sidney Rigdon, that our situation is extreme, or unique thereby excusing us from living the principle. In contrast, if we are familiar with the scriptures, we allow the Spirit to testify of those examples and we will realize that 99.9999% of the time we are not in fact an exception. We almost always, don’t have it worse than Job, and definitely not Jesus, therefore; we need to live the gospel.
Take for example the principle of following the prophet, President Jeffrey R. Holland has taught: “In such basic matters of faith, prophets do not apologize for requesting unity, indeed conformity, in the eloquent sense that the Prophet Joseph Smith used that latter word. In any case, as Elder Neal Maxwell once said to me in a hallway conversation, ‘There didn’t seem to be any problem with conformity the day the Red Sea opened.’”
Neal A. Maxwell used the example of Moses to illustrate that even in extreme circumstances: we need to follow the prophet. The example of Moses puts our life into context; who of us is being asked to give up everything we own and leave our home and follow the prophet? Further still, who has been asked to pass through the Red Sea by the prophets? To literally put our entire life in the Lord’s hands and follow His servant know that at any second the waters of the Red Sea may be unleashed and you will be drowned? None of us are being asked to do all these things. Therefore these examples are to show us that our lives, our choices, and our discipleship do not fall into the “extreme circumstances” category.
Even IF/WHEN
The scriptures don’t just teach we should follow the prophets, many, if not all, of the principles of the gospel can be found being taught in extenuating circumstances. This is not just my opinion, in Apr. 2005 Lynn G. Robbins taught, “The Lord often teaches using extreme circumstances to illustrate a principle.” Here are a few brief examples:
- Consecration: Widows Mite
- Prayer: Daniel
- Faith: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
- Repentance is possible: Paul/Alma the Younger and sons of Mosiah
- Following the Prophet: Widow of Zarephath
- Keeping One’s Covenants: Anti-Nephi-Lehi’s
- Baptismal Covenant: Abinadi
- Enduring Trails Faithfully: Job; Alma and Amulek; Aaron, Omner, and Himni.
- Trusting in the Lord: Sons of Helaman; The Anti-Nephi-Lehi’s; the Women & Children of Ammonihah.
This list was not comprehensive, nor was it meant to be. It was meant to show you that we have examples of people who lived the various gospel principles in extreme circumstances. As you study the scriptures, I invite you to ponder: “What principles of the gospel does this story exemplify?” But beyond the scriptures, as you study Church history, ask yourself the same question about the early Saints of the restoration!
Two Notes as Words of Caution:
First: One of the biggest mistakes we make when looking at scriptures is expecting to have the same spectacular experiences as them. We literally read the ‘spiritual highlights’ of a prophet’s life, and then expect to see the same thing in our life! Whereas it can happen, it often does not. The majority of the Lord’s interactions with the prophet and apostles are not via angelic messengers or visions, but rather they are via the same subtle promptings of the still small voice we experience. So don’t compare your every day with Alma’s best 5.
Of this truth, Neal A. Maxwell taught in what is arguably one of his best conference addresses (Notwithstanding My Weakness Oct. 1976) “In the economy of heaven, God does not send thunder if a still, small voice is enough, or a prophet if a priest can do the job.” Meaning, that the Lord will use the simplest tool that is effective when interacting with His children. So if are keeping your covenants and you have not seen an angel, don’t be discouraged, it is not a sign that you are not worthy, but rather it is a sign the Lord does not need to send one for you to do your duty!
Second: sometimes we see extreme examples of deliverance such as the Sons of Helaman, and then think that if we follow the prophet that means we will be delivered from bad things happening to us. This is not true. Think of the slaughter of the Anti-Nephi-Lehi’s or the women and children of Ammonihah. Both of these groups were righteous, they were following the prophet, and many of the Anti-Nephi-Lehi’s died because of it. And ALL of the women and the children in Ammonihah died while trusting in the Lord.
I could go into these examples deeper showing the need and result of the deaths of these two groups of people, but the principle I wish to highlight is this: When we follow the prophet, and thereby place our trust in the Lord, we should do so knowing that the result will be between the extremes of total miraculous deliverance on one hand, and complete consecration of our very lives on the other. Often the road we walk will be down the middle between both extreme outcomes.
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